Parents across Alberta can now see how their children’s elementary schools compare academically with others in the province, following the release of the Fraser Institute’s latest school rankings.
The annual Report Card on Alberta’s Elementary Schools evaluates 699 public, separate, independent and charter schools using eight academic indicators drawn from provincewide test results.
Credit: note thanun / Unsplash
Along with comparing schools, the report highlights changes in academic performance over time, including substantial improvements at two schools in Canmore and Edmonton.
The Fraser Institute ranks Alberta elementary schools using academic results provided by Alberta Education, assigning each school a score from zero to 10. Rankings are based on seven indicators: Grade 6 test scores in language arts, mathematics, science and social studies; the percentage of tests falling below the acceptable standard; and differences in language arts and mathematics results between male and female students. Since Grade 3 provincial testing results are unavailable, the rankings rely on Grade 6 data to track school performance over time.
Canmore School Among Alberta’s Biggest Improvers
École Notre-Dame des Monts, a Francophone school in Canmore, recorded the strongest improvement identified in the release.
Scorecard of École Notre-Dame des Monts – Canmore/Credit: compareschoolrankings.org
Its overall rating climbed from 4.3 out of 10 in 2018 to 9.5 in 2025, an increase of 5.2 points.
Another notable example is Rio Terrace, a public school in Edmonton that offers French Immersion, German Bilingual and Interactions programs.
Rio Terrace’s score increased from 4.0 in 2018 to 8.4 in 2025, a gain of 4.4 points, placing it among the province’s fastest-improving elementary schools.
Top 33 Elementary Schools in Alberta
(Click the school name for detailed score)
What the Rankings Mean for Parents
The Fraser Institute says the results demonstrate that academic improvement is possible across different school systems, communities and student populations.
“The evidence is clear—all types of schools, located all over the province with different types of students, are all capable of improvement,” said Paige MacPherson, a Fraser Institute senior fellow.
If you’re comparing schools for your child, the report lets you examine academic results and see how individual schools have performed over time.
MacPherson said the report cards give families access to information about their school’s performance and how it compares with others across Alberta.
Where to Find the Full Rankings: You can search the complete results for all 699 ranked schools and compare their academic performance at www.compareschoolrankings.org.